The 'Big 4' Rock + Metal Artists of 2025

Which bands and artists would represent the "Big 4" of rock and metal in 2025?

The "Big 4" is a phrase that's long described the four bands that served as the foundation of thrash metal — Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax. We've since applied it to countless other genres, decades and even generations of dad rock just to showcase who the leaders of each of those groups truly are.

Last year, we compiled a Big 4 of 2024, which consisted of Creed, Gojira, Knocked Loose and Linkin Park. Each group had a large impact on heavy music in some way during the year, from Creed's reunion tour to Gojira playing the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony.

With that said, we carefully considered which artists would make up the Big 4 of this year and we're pretty confident with our selections.

READ MORE: The 51 Best Rock + Metal Songs of 2025

A lot happened this year. There were a ton of new albums released, countless tours, reunions and a massive concert that brought the entire rock and metal community together to say goodbye to one of the most influential bands and individuals of the genre.

There are a lot of bands that made 2025 great, but the four that chose to represent the Big 4 of this year each contributed something unique and powerful that truly made this year one to remember. We made sure to justify our picks, though their contributions to heavy music speak for themselves.

Scroll below to see the Big 4 rock and metal artists of 2025.

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